The End of The World?
by thatblue
Summary: This time it isn't an invasion, but a sick game, and Donna and the Doctor have just become the pawns. After they are separated, and led to believe that the other has abandoned them, they have twenty four hours to find the enemy, and stop them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own Doctor who, because if I did the Doctor could be happy and stay happy for once.**

"All right," the Doctor said to Donna, his voice breaking though the hum that had been occupying the space in between them.

She didn't look up at him. On her part, the conversation had been hanging in the air for at least ten minutes. She had simply asked to pop in to see her Gramps and her Mum. She had told him that he didn't need to come in or anything, and promised to make it quick.

He hadn't even looked up, the rude little Martian. He had just kept right on fiddling with his Spatial… whatever he had called it. It was hard to make herself remember anyway, when she was fairly sure at least half of what he said was for nothing more than the benefit of hearing himself say it.

She had never met a man who loved himself as much as he hated himself, but he did.

"Donna?" he asked, getting that cute little pout into his voice.

She wasn't willing to think on the fact that she had started to think the familiar pout was cute.

He could pretend he didn't know what it did to her, but she knew better. He used it every time he did something that he finally realized was rude. It was usually far after the fact, like now, but at least he was learning. You could teach and old Time Lord new tricks, it seemed.

"What?" she asked, finally looking up into that puppy dog face.

She hated him sometimes.

"We can go, to that place you used to call home," he said softly, "you know, if you want."

The last part was added very softly, but he tacked it on just in case she somehow forgot that this wasn't his idea. She might have had something to say if she wasn't so tickled by the first part. Every since she had said that this was her home- which delighted him to no end- that was what he called her old home.

Sometimes she thought he brought it up just for the chance to call it that.

Sometimes she loved him too.

"Well, thank you," she said, unwilling to comment, or give him the attention he was seeking.

"I'll even come," he added, still fishing for her praise.

"Really?" she asked, and eyed him careful. He nodded, seemingly grateful that he finally had her looking at him. "Is this just so you can have some sweets."

She had taken to using banana bread as positive reinforcement. It seemed to be working.

He looked deeply wounded and gasped, bringing his right hand to cover his left heart. He said, "Donna, you wound me."

"That wasn't an answer," she said, calmly.

He blushed a little, and it made her grin. How could he be as old as he claimed, and still be such a child?

"'m going for you," he muttered.

He managed to sound properly hurt that she would think anything else, and while she couldn't imagine why, her opinion seemed to matter to him.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," she said, and moved closer to him. "Let's go, and then when we come back you can have an extra big piece of bread."

He looked up and she wondered if he was going to use his super pout on her, that thing should be declared illegal, but he simply smiled. He danced around the console, muttering things about what he was doing.

She sighed, flopped back down on the chair, and assumed he was talking to hear himself again.

Still, he did have a nice voice. Not that she could ever, ever, tell him that.

DW

The Doctor looked over at Donna, who was waiting on him to finish what he was doing. He didn't mind taking her home, he would do anything for her, but he wanted to get a little credit for it. It wasn't as if he especially enjoyed the glaring and potential slaps that came from her mother. Wilf was nice, but they rarely came when it was just him.

Still, to make Donna smile he would endure. All he was asking for was proper acknowledgment of that fact.

He bounced around; gracefully he might add, throwing the last few levers. The TARDIS made that lovely sound, that to him had come to mean home, and he grinned at her.

She stared for a moment, and he thought he might have to break out an emergency pout, but then she was smiling as well.

"Come on, you silly alien," she said, standing and reaching out for his hand.

He took hers at once, no way he was going to miss that chance, and was fairly sure he was grinning like a fool. He tried to reel it in; it wouldn't do to have her wondering if he had bumped his head, and start asking questions.

She wanted a friend, and that was what she was going to get. No matter what he had started to want.

They left the TARDIS after he had pulled on his long coat. He didn't need it, they both knew it, but he liked the way it fanned out when he ran. Sometimes he found reasons to run, just so it would do that, and he could feel like he was wearing a cape.

Everyone knew that capes were brilliant.

The air outside seemed extra fresh and he could feel the tingle of warmth around his skin. Inside he was nice and cool, always nice and cool, and he grinned at Donna again.

The street was relatively empty, aside from some children who were riding their bikes. The Doctor looked over at them, and wondered if Donna wanted children someday.

He had been having a lot of dangerous thoughts like that these days, and just like he did with the rest, he buried it under all the other stuff in his mind he refused to look at. It was a rather large pile, but he was very good at ignoring it.

He looked to the right; they were coming up on Donnas street. He had parked a little ways away, just to have the pleasure of walking with her in public, with her hand in his.

They passed by small group of men that were dressed up like Roman soldiers, and he thought it a bit odd. But then, who was he to judge, he was walking around with two hearts beating away inside his alien chest.

What made him stop for a moment though, was that they were speaking Latin. Real proper, hardly anyone spoke it these days, Latin. He could understand it just fine, but he always knew that the TARDIS was also there, able to translate.

This time she wasn't giving him the option, and Donna was glancing back and forth at the men and then the Doctor. It was clear that she wasn't getting the translation either.

It was like the TARDIS was calling attention to the men, like they were out of place.

He started to approach them, hoping to feel something in the air around them if they were out of their time, but Donna stopped him.

"I'm sure it's nothing," she said softly.

He longed to investigate. It wasn't in his nature not to, but the men were looking at him now, and they didn't seem pleased.

He shook his head, and let Donna lead him away. He would look into it after they had their visit. He didn't need to seek out trouble all the time, this was just time for him and Donna…and her family.

He couldn't help but wonder why Roman soldiers were standing in Cheswick, and why they seemed so very authentic.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor sat at the kitchen table, tea in his hand, and he truly tried to listen to the conversation but it had fallen to background noise. He was only drinking the tea because it was there, and it kept his hand moving. For a while he had managed to nod and give out a form of grunt that he hoped would appease Donna.

He couldn't help it though, he kept thinking about to those soldiers. Here he was with Donna, with her and her family, most of whom he actually liked, and he wasn't paying attention. He hated that for all his willingness to try in this body and that he was willing to come here for Donna, he still couldn't get the hang of domestic.

As it was, he was wondering if those soldiers had been real, and if they had been the long list of awful potentials that could have brought them here. Of course there was always the possibility that they had simply slipped through a little tear in the fabric of time.

That wouldn't be so bad, he could fix that easy peasy, and then get to spend a quiet evening with Donna. It was odd that was how he started to think about things these days. Just as he had started to measure time by her, instead of what his body told him.

Like, how many times could he make her smile, from the time she woke to the time she slept? His day started when she shuffled into kitchen, no matter what time that might be. He knew that he should try to stop these mounting feelings, but he couldn't bring himself to try.

He was the happiest he had been since he had been a child, all those years ago, and his sanity couldn't handle having that ripped away.

"Doctor?" Donna asked, and he felt her lay her warm hand on top of his much cooler one. "Are you okay?"

"Yep," he agreed, "just fine."

He looked up at her, and then over to Sylvia and Wilf who were watching him as well.

He met Donna's gaze and managed a smile. Donna could always pull a smile from him, even when he was far too distracted for his own good. She was his anchor to the world, to the universe.

Donna watched him for a long moment, and he knew that she was thinking. He just wasn't sure what about, and he feared that she was going to be angry about his lack of effort. He had promised to come, and he could imagine her saying he should have just stayed in the TARDIS if he was going to act like that.

Finally Donna rubbed her thumb over his knuckles, gave him a smile and turned to her family. She said, "Well, it was lovely to see you, but we ought to be going."

They said their goodbye, and the Doctor tried hard to stay in the moment. He received a hug from both Sylvia and Wilf, and the usual warning about taking care of Donna. He agreed, promised inside and out, and then they were outside in the warm air again.

He was thankful that Donna had chosen to go, because he wouldn't have asked to leave. No matter how troubled his thinking had been. He would have stayed until she made the choice, because, well, because she was Donna. And he cared about her. A lot.

Once they started to walk, he kept a close eye out for those soldiers, but saw nothing out of place.

"What is it, Doctor? Is this about those soldiers, or whatever they were, from earlier?"

"Yes," he agreed. They had reached the place where the group had been gathered and wandered over, talking as he paced. "They were just a bit too authentic for my liking. And the TARDIS wasn't translating, which makes me think that she was trying to draw attention to them. But why would Roman Soldiers be standing in the middle of Chiswick, now?"

He looked over at Donna who was watching him. She seemed to be waiting to see if that was a real question or what she would call his typical rambling. When he didn't continue, she walked over. He really wanted her opinion; she seemed to see things that he always missed.

"Maybe they weren't real, maybe they were actors here for some performance."

She didn't seem like she believed it even as she said it, but he couldn't say it wasn't a logical thought. And her saying it helped him realize that he knew that they were out of time, even if the hairs on his body hadn't begun to stick up.

"Good thought, Donna," he praised, and she gave a beautiful blush. That was twice today, he noted, and smiled at her. "I wish it were that simple."

He motioned her closer, and she came at once. He didn't say anything for a while, letting the energy touch her, until he was certain that she could feel it too. It wasn't just normal time travel energy; it was as if they had actually come through the vortex, instead of a simple slip through the fabric of time.

Sometimes he felt it was best to let his companions to experience things first hand, and he didn't want to deny Donna any experience. At least not any experience that wouldn't bring her harm.

"Do you feel that?" the Doctor finally asked, moving closer to her. He didn't actually need to come closer, but he could breathe her in better, and he truly loved to watch her learn new things. It made him feel like he got to learn them all over again.

"What is it?" Donna asked, and to his surprise she was reaching out for his hand.

He took it into his, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She seemed nervous now, and that wasn't what he had been going for at all. The energy shouldn't be a problem; it was the same kind she would leave behind. She had traveled through the vortex, far more than these soldiers had. Still, he trusted Donna's intuition, and if she was bothered it was best to get this sorted sooner rather than later.

"Come on," he said, gently. He was eager to lead her away from what was bothering her. "Let's head back to the TARDIS and I'll explain there."

Donna looked relieved, clinging to him in a way he didn't hate, but couldn't like either. He was glad to be there for her, certainly glad to be touching her, but he didn't want it to come at any cost. As they approached the TARDIS she began to relax, and he did as well. He knew she was safe in the TARDIS and that was all it took to calm his nerves.

She had become his everything, and he couldn't even tell anyone the exact moment it had happened. It had been a million little moments, and they all added up to the fact that she made up his universe.

When they stepped inside he didn't let her go, trying to lead her to the kitchen.

"Let's get you some tea," the Doctor said, keeping a close watch on her. She seemed better, her grip loose in his, but he still thought tea would be a good idea. He firmly believed there wasn't much it couldn't help with.

"No, Doctor," Donna said, pulling her hand from his, and planting her feet.

Oh. He tried not to look disappointed at not having the chance to comfort her. Perhaps it was finally time for her to be mad at him for not paying attention at her mums. His head dropped.

"Sorry," he said, automatically. He didn't have to know the reason he was sorry, because he could supply a lifetime of reasons all on his own.

"What?" Donna asked. "I just meant I was fine, so you know; let's figure out what's going on."

He looked up, and when she smiled, he beamed right back. If she wasn't mad, or upset, he wasn't going to mope around giving her the chance to get that way.

"You're brilliant, you are," he said, as he danced around the console. He was relieved to be back in her good graces, even if he hadn't actually fallen out of them. And he added another blush and smile to his running count.

As far as telling her she was brilliant, well he would tell her every chance he got until she believed it, and then he would keep on telling her. Because she was, she was _his_ brilliant Donna.

"All right then," the Doctor said. He began to type, Donna coming up to stand close to him.

She was so close he could feel the heat pouring off her human body, and it made it hard for him to think. Why did she have to smell like vanilla and something he couldn't name but was only her?

When the information came from the console, in his language, he hummed his acknowledgment. They had come through the vortex, which led to more problems, but he could get it sorted.

The TARDIS was still picking up energy traces, and he programmed the old girl to seek it out.

He needed to find them, they were still around here, and they were far from their time. He found that a lot of times confusion and fear led to violence, and he wanted to find them before they could do any damage or be damaged.

He looked at Donna, and was hoping he could still manage a quiet evening. Those were the best. He was thinking movies and popcorn, and then maybe if he was good she would let him cuddle in her bed tonight. He hadn't slept much this week, and it sounded just perfect.

"Okay," he said, moving as soon as they landed. "Get them, get them home. Then we can figure out why they were sent here, and be home in time for movies."

Donna smiled and nodded. He would never get tired of the thrill that lit through him when he thought of her calling this home.

She took his hand at once, and he held her tight. They walked from the TARDIS, but they didn't have to go farther than a step to know things were far worse than a few lost soldiers.

"Doctor?" Donna asked. "Is that what I think it is?"

The Doctor swallowed. All he wanted was a quiet life, but it didn't look like there would be any movies or cuddling anytime soon.

"Yes," he agreed, as a man ran by yelling 'Run'.


	3. Chapter 3

Right in front of them was a small pack of saber tooth tigers, growling, but they had yet to attack anyone. They were probably still a bit disorientated from traveling in time, so he used it to his advantage. He reached into his pocket, found his screwdriver and pulled it out. With practiced movements he found a setting he thought might do the trick, and pointed it in the direction of the pack.

He watched as their heads bowed and they backed away, making a noise that could only be from discomfort. Still, this was better than someone killing them, and for the time being it worked.

The pack backed their way to the edge of a building, and stopped. The Doctor thought they might be glaring, but who could tell with animals.

The Doctor kept the screwdriver pointed at them, and looked around. He had only expected to make a short jump, but they weren't in Chiswick anymore. Actually, he wasn't sure where they were. A man made his way over to the Doctor and Donna, and the Doctor shifted to stand in front of Donna while he eyed the man.

He looked normal, tall, but with kind dark eyes. He said, "Thank you, thank you."

The Doctor simply nodded, trying to think of a more long term solution for this little problem, and then the much larger problem that seemed to be growing.

"Say, where are we?" the Doctor asked.

The man looked at him, probably trying to decide if the man who was helping him was crazy or not.

"Pennsylvania," the man answered, and then it appeared his decision was made, because he moved away.

Well, he still had Donna at his side, which was all he needed. It seemed as if this time line disturbance was worldwide, but he still knew so very little.

"What are we going to do here, Doctor?" Donna asked.

He glanced over at her, and could see that she was displaying the same obvious signs of discomfort as she had been earlier. But he knew that he could count on her to be there, and not to run away from whatever was upsetting her.

He could always count on Donna.

He opened his mouth to redirect her until he could think of a solution when he heard it. He couldn't see it, but above his head was the high speed fighter ship.

He looked up anyway, and sighed. This wasn't just the past bleeding in anymore; this was the future as well. As the ship stopped on a dime above them, he could make out technology that wouldn't be around for at least five hundred years.

Donna gasped as soldiers jumped out of the base of the ship, landing with an easy thud from the great height. Thanks to their protective boots they were safe, and began to span out finding an easy order, gathering around the tigers.

He ran up to the closest soldier, who was hovering in the back shouting orders. The screwdriver was forgotten, but Donna's hand was in his again.

"Don't kill them," the Doctor ordered as he approached.

He had found that speaking with authority was often enough to make people accept what you said. And it wasn't just with humans, it was most species.

The soldier looked him up and down, energy weapon in his arms, but he sighed.

"We're not going to kill them sir, simply stun them and then attempt to transfer them back," the man said, his voice deep.

"Where did you come from? When? What happened?"

The man was watching the progress of the group. It was known that the Doctor didn't care for weapons, or really soldiers, but he did note how gentle these soldiers were being as they tranquilized the pack, and loaded them on anti gravity stretchers.

"We were flying over New York, on a training mission, and then we were here," the man said. "We were going to try to get back, but then we saw them," he said, using his gun to motion to the now mostly contained animals.

The man looked around and asked, "When are we?"

"2008," the Doctor answered.

"Who are you, then?"

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said, and pulled Donna closer. He had decided his liked this man. "This is Donna, and we are investigating."

The man nodded, and gave Donna a small smile. The Doctor was suddenly feeling less friendly toward him.

"Are they," Donna said, pulling the Doctor a little away before she continued, "are they from the future?"

"Yes, about five hundred years from now."

As it often did, a simple question from Donna made his thoughts clear. This wasn't like a rift, where anything could slip through. This was a deliberate breach in time streams, and only in the Earth time streams. At least so far.

He pulled Donna back to the TARDIS, deciding to let the future soldiers work out what to do with the tigers. He had to figure out what was going on, and find the epicenter of all this. He was getting a bad feeling, swelling up inside his chest.

He ran back to the computer and began to type. Swirls appeared, and he felt his hearts stuttered.

"What are those?" Donna asked, pointing to the map of the world, and the new dots appearing all over.

"Those represent something that is out of its time," the Doctor said. "But, I might be able to use them all to trace it back to one source. If I'm a genius, which I am."

"And you're just so modest," Donna said.

She was close to his side, and he could feel her warmth. He managed a small smile at her attempt to tease him, but kept his eyes on the screen. The TARDIS was trying, but the signal kept bouncing back and forth.

"Come on," he muttered, reaching beneath the console to fiddle with a wire.

He heard a beep and his head popped back up. He saw the screen flashing a single location, that wasn't on the Earth but above it, and he looked to Donna.

Would she listen if he told her to wait in the TARDIS? Probably not, but he couldn't shake this overwhelming feeling of doom. Something was very wrong here, and he didn't want her getting hurt. She was his everything, even if she didn't have a clue.

"I…maybe I should do this alone," the Doctor said, his hand on the switch that would take them to their destination.

She looked like she might slap him, and call him an idiot. She didn't though, just sighed.

"Not likely," she said.

"I figured," he agreed, and he bit his lip. "Ready?"

She shook her head no, and then reached out, grabbing him and holding his face.

"Donna?"

Her lips touched his, for a brief moment and he leaned into the gesture. It only lasted a second, but it was the best second he had in so very long.

"Ready," Donna said when she pulled back.

That was hardly fair, doing it when he didn't have time to linger in the feeling.

"Donna," he whispered. He didn't know what to say.

"Let's go, Doctor," she said her voice firm. She slipped her hand into his, and he squeezed it throwing the lever.

He was going to get this finished, and then he was going to bring her back to the TARDIS and figure out just what that kiss meant.

He waited until the ship landed, and he gave her a weak smile, He had to do this, he knew he did, but for a brief moment he thought of walking away. They could go somewhere, they didn't have to fight, but he knew they did. That was who they were, who he always was.

They walked to the door, and he opened it expecting the worst. He saw nothing, but closed the door securely behind him, and pulled Donna as close as he could. If it bothered her she didn't say, and they began to walk.

The silence of the ship was eerie and he almost wished they would just find who they were looking for.

His wish granted by strong arms wrapping themselves around him, and Donna, pulling them apart. He felt a rag go over his mouth, and he tried not to breathe but it was too late. Whatever they were using was powerful, and darkness was clouding his vision at once.

He thought he called out for Donna, that he promised to take care of her, but it could have all been in his head. He tried to move, to reach for her, but he was trapped inside his body, screaming for Donna without a sound.


	4. Chapter 4

Donna awoke, but she simply refused to open her eyes. Her head hurt. No, that was an understatement. It felt as if a large group of severe hangovers had decided to throw a party inside her skull.

Someone was talking to her, even using her name, but it wasn't the Doctor. She had every intention of ignoring them, at least until her stomach settled a little. They, it seemed, had other plans.

She received an electric current through whatever had her hands strapped behind her back. Her eyes popped open.

"Oi," she growled. "Just what do you think you are playing at?

There was a man in front of her, alien she was certain, but he looked just as human as she did. He was really very handsome, with deep blue eyes, and brown hair falling down over his face.

"Sorry, my dear," he said in what was a very hypnotic tone. "Just trying to get your attention."

She knew she should offer a protest, but she felt lost in his eyes. He was making eye contact, didn't even seem to be blinking.

She swallowed hard, forgetting why she was here.

"Poor Donna," the man said. He moved closer, still not blinking. "Doctor brought you here, knowing you would be in danger."

Danger? That's what they did, she came willingly, she knew that, but she just found herself nodding. He smiled, looking like he ought to be in a museum because he should be on display.

"It's a good thing that we've decided we like you, Donna Noble," the man said. "Because we are going to give you a chance to save your world."

"Save my world," Donna repeated, numbly.

"Yes," the man agreed. "Now the Doctor left you here, left you all alone to do this, but we believe in you."

She shook her head. The Doctor left? He wouldn't do that, not her or the Earth. So why did she feels so convinced that what he said was true.

"He wouldn't," Donna said, trying to believe it.

"Oh dear," the man said. "We have proof."

At this he rose, and gently touched her face. She knew she should lean away but she didn't. After the contact he walked over to a computer and on the wall before an image appeared.

It was the Doctor, walking toward the TARDIS. The TARDIS that had been right down the hall, which they had walked out of it together.

He looked back down the hall, ran his hand through his hair. She heard him say, "I'm so sorry, Donna."

With that he entered the doors, and the TARDIS faded from sight.

"He's coming back," Donna managed to protest, though it sounded empty even to her.

"He's not, beautiful," the man said. "He's long gone, even before you woke. Now, do you want to try to save your world, or you can stay up here with us and watch it burn?"

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, feeling a little more like herself.

He looked at her carefully, a frown etching itself on his perfect face. He came back over, sitting in a chair right in front of her. He was right back to not blinking.

"We're not. We are just here to help you. Do you want to save your world, Donna Noble? It's all in your hands."

They were here to help. "Yes, I want to try to save my world."

"Good," the man stood.

He walked out of sight, and the next thing she knew her hands were being released. She pulled them around, rubbing absently at the soreness. She wasn't sure if it was from the shock, or form being tied, but they were pleased to be free.

The man was before her again, handing her a black box.

"Open it," he instructed.

She did as he said, and inside was a digital clock; at least it looked like a clock. It read 24:00, and she began to suspect it was a timer.

"We are going to transport you back to Chiswich, but keep an eye on that. When it starts, you have twenty four hours to locate the off switch."

"Off switch?" she asked, her mind still fuzzy, and she knew that she should be asking a lot more questions.

His grin was the only answer. He led her to the corner, instructed her to hold tight to the box, and then she was falling.

Only she wasn't….it just felt like that. She hit the ground, with a dull thud. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't anything she wished to repeat.

She heard a honk from a car, and realized she was in a road. She pulled herself up, and moved off to the side. The driver said some impolite things, and drove on. She opened the box, but it still showed 24:00.

When was it going to start? She didn't see any reason to wait, especially since she had no idea what she was looking for. An off switch, yes, but what did that mean?

DW

"Where is Donna?" the Doctor asked again. He had been awake for a while, the drugs unable to pull him too deeply under.

He was alone, but he suspected someone was out there listening. The room was small, and fairly dark, but he could make out a table in front of him, and a door in the distance that he was sure would be locked.

He had no idea what was going on, but he had every intention of finding Donna and stopping the injury to time. He wasn't called a Time Lord for nothing.

He sighed, tapping his fingers against his legs. He was never good at patient; in fact he was quite bad at it. At least when they landed in jail, Donna was there for him to talk to.

Now he was worried about her, and his head hurt a little from their drug, and he was alone. He didn't like alone. Alone was where the horrors of his past lived, and he didn't think he would ever be ready to face them.

Finally, when he was close to going to beat on the door it opened. A man stepped in, a handsome humanoid, though not as handsome as the Doctor if he did say so himself.

He tried to find an identifying marker, anything to let him know the species, but he was unable to find any.

"Hello, Doctor," the man said, standing in front of the Doctor.

He had intense blue eyes, and the Doctor found it hard to look away. He knew what was happening, he was being hypnotized, but he was unable to fight it. He had defenses in place, and this shouldn't be happening. He found enough of himself remaining to worry about how easily Donna must have been pulled in if he was so lost.

"Where's Donna?" he managed to ask.

The man gave him a sad look and said, "I'm afraid she's left you, Doctor. We gave her the choice and she ran."

Ran? Donna didn't run from trouble, even when she should. That was why he felt like he could count on her.

"She wouldn't," the Doctor said, scrambling within his own mind to maintain that certainty.

"Poor Doctor," the man said. "We have proof."

They proceeded to show him a video in which Donna was given the chance to leave the Doctor and go see her family. She took it gladly, and he watched her being teleported off the ship.

"Why Donna?" the Doctor whispered.

He knew it didn't make sense, but he couldn't think too hard on it.

"Now," the man said. "Never let it be said that we aren't fair. We will give you the chance to save your precious Earth, maybe even win Donna back. What do you say?"

He wasn't so sure he wanted Donna back, but the Earth was the closest thing to a home planet he was ever going to get again.

"Okay," he said. "Tell me what to do."

His head was foggy, and it was hard to know what was real and what wasn't. He was having to fight to even remember that something was a lie. Was it Donna leaving?

He was told that when the timer started to count down he had twenty four hours to find the off switch. He wanted his TARDIS, but they said that would be cheating and he could have it back when the game was over.

He was settled into the transport beam, and knew that he should be fighting, but simply couldn't. Then he felt the familiar falling sensation and he landed in someone's back yard.

He opened his box, and saw that the timer had started. Twenty four hours to save the Earth.


	5. Chapter 5

She'd been looking for an hour longer than the timer had been going, and the only thing she could say for sure is that it was only getting worse. She had no idea what she was looking for, no Doctor to help her. No, he had just left her, abandoned the Earth.

It was only her, only her looking. The world was in her hands, and she couldn't feel less confident. She wished they had even given her a clue, something to go off of. An off switch, but what kind, where?

She heard a scream from somewhere down the street and she didn't know if she should go back and try to help or keep looking forward. She supposed this was one of those times she had to look at the bigger picture, like the Doctor was always saying.

So she pushed forward, trying to think of any clue. They had sent her back to Chiswich, which made her think it was somewhere close. She hoped.

She heard a sound behind her and spun at once, to see something. She wasn't an expert, wasn't even a real area of interest, but she was pretty certain it was a Philosoraptor.

The only thing she really knew was that she was in danger, and took off running. She found and alley, and slipped in, hiding behind a dumpster.

Great, she was going to die, and then the world was going to die. And where was the Doctor? Who knew?

Only she heard a sound that was very similar to the sonic, and then she could hear the creature running away. Suddenly a man was before her, it was too dark to see him, but she hoped it was the Doctor.

"It's okay, miss, he's gone now," the voice said.

She would know it anywhere, he was here. It didn't make sense and as she stepped into the light and confusion clouded her face she suspected she had been lied to.

"Donna, what the hell are you doing here?" the Doctor asked, his voice losing the confusion and taking on a hard tone.

It was one he had never used on her, but on plenty of people who crossed him.

"Doctor, they said you left," Donna protested.

"They showed me you left," the Doctor said, no less angry. "So go on, run home to your family while I save your world once again."

She did what she had to do, and she slapped him. "You listen to me!"

He rubbed his face, glared, but kept his mouth closed.

"They showed me that you left to, but they must have been lying to both of us. I don't know why, but I didn't leave you, they sent me here."

She pulled the black box from her pocket and showed him.

"I thought you left me like everyone always does," the Doctor said.

His voice was so sad, and the countdown was continuing in her hands. But she hugged him.

"My home is on the TARDIS, Doctor always. Now come on, what do we do?"

The Doctor pulled back, tears in his eyes. He blinked them back then nodded, she suspected to himself.

"Right, well, I don't have the TARDIS, but I do have the sonic. I was tracking alien technology when I came across you."

"Then let's get back to that."

He held the sonic in on hand, carefully steering them away from the more dangerous of the things out of their time. They saw more Roman Soldiers, but she couldn't say if it was the same ones or another group.

In his other hand he held hers, tightly, as if he was afraid if he loosened his grip she was going to slip away from him.

DW

He had been so angry to see her, thinking about her with every step. Even with his anger he knew that a large part of the reason he was trying to save Earth was because that was where she was. Even if he wanted nothing to do with her, his hearts still screamed their love, and he wouldn't let any harm find her.

But he was wrong. They had been lied to, and hypnotized into believing that lie. He was starting to suspect what they were seeking wasn't all it was said to be. He didn't know if that meant that this 'off switch' was an on switch or if it was something else all together

Whatever it was though, at least he had Donna by her side. He suspected that the hypnotizing was probably meant to supply its own words if they were to cross each other, but Donna had slapped that potential out of him. And now they were back on the trial together. Just as it should be.

He came to a building, an old one that looked like it should be the scene of a horror movie. But this is where the signal was coming from, and this was where they had to be.

"Really?" Donna asked.

"'Fraid so," he agreed. "Together."

"Together," she said.

He opened the door, and stepped in first, finding a light switch on the right side of the door. The first room they came to was mostly empty, a chair in the corner, a desk flipped onto its side in the middle of the room. The only other decorations were torn shutters and years worth of dust.

He led them around the room, but couldn't find anything of interest. So he opened the next door and stepped into the blackness. He had an overwhelming feeling when he stepped into the room.

He reached out for a light switch, but when he flipped it, it didn't turn on. He went up and down with it several times, but wasn't having any luck.

Suddenly the light bulb went on over his head, and he saw two people standing in the center of the room. This room was a far cry from the previous one. It was polished and full. There were tubes running along the walls, and liquid filling those tubes.

His attention, however, was on the two people in the room. So was Donna's, neither able to focus on anything else.

"Doctor?" the man said with a grin. "We've been waiting."


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor look at…well himself. This body even, and the beautiful woman by his side way across the room was Donna. They other versions of them looked almost exactly like them now, so this version couldn't have been too far from the future the way he figured it.

"Doctor," the Doctor greeted himself.

"Doctor," the other him said. He turned to future Donna and gave her a smile. "Remember not to touch yourself."

She glared at him, and the Doctor had to smile. Still Donna, even in the future.

"You really think I would rush over there and give myself a hug?" future Donna asked. She looked at present Donna and smiled. "Although I do look nice in that outfit."

Both Doctors looked at present Donna and though it defied reason present him, wanted to hit the other Doctor for looking. Sure it was only him, and he couldn't imagine a time that he wouldn't want to appreciate Donna and what she was wearing…but it felt wrong.

"Why are you here?" he asked, bringing the attention away from his Donna.

The future him beamed, and the Doctor thought about how handsome he really was. He should smile more; it made him look so young.

"To help you of course," the future him said, and moved closer to them. "And boy do you need it, buckaroo…Donna?"

"Added to the list," future Donna said. "You need to stop experimenting, it's getting really long."

He made a defiant face his Donna couldn't see, and the present one glared for her. The Doctor was glad to see that they were still close in the future, that they were still together. Because he needed Donna and he didn't think that there would ever be a day that he didn't need her.

"Buckaroo," the Doctor smiled at future him. "That one was pretty bad."

"That's why it was added to the list," future him complained. "Can we have a little focus here?"

"I like your shoes," his Donna said to the future her.

That Donna beamed and said, "Thanks. You get them in this lovely little market-"

"Donna," both Doctors said at once.

"What…it's just shoes, and for all you know Mr. Smarty pants…both of you…I'm the reason she bought them."

Both Doctor sighed in unison and then the other him sprung into action. He walked over to a computer and sat down, typing. The Doctor walked over to him.

"So, obviously we aren't really trying to find an off switch," the Doctor reasoned. "So what are we doing here, and why do we need you?"

The future Doctor finished typing and leaned back in his chair, letting the Doctor read over his shoulder. He read the files, quickly and with disgust. He felt rage surge through him…the whole Earth reduced to a sick game.

They thought they could win, but they were wrong.

"Where is your TARDIS?" the Doctor asked.

"Its outback," the future Doctor said. "How long do we have?"

The Doctor flipped opened his box, and the other Doctor remembered seeing the numbers.

"Come on," he said, jumping up from the chair. "We have and Earth to save."

They followed him to the TARDIS, stepping inside he saw that it hadn't changed much. There were perhaps a few more feminine touches, such as the jump seat was now longer and a soft pink color.

Donna had cleared added her touch as time passed, and he wondered what it said that he had let it happen.

He stood next to the future him, and reached out for a lever when he noticed a faint band of white on the Doctor's left hand. He stared at it for a moment when the other him noticed.

He looked at the two Donnas' who were talking, but keeping a safe distance apart. He smiled at the present him for a moment, and then went back to work.

Did that mean he married Donna? He loved her, he was certain, but marriage? That was a step he didn't think he would ever take with anyone.

He flipped the lever closest to him, and the TARDIS was set into flight. He wasn't sure where they were going, and he was having a hard time asking. He just kept looking at the two Donnas, from one to the other.

They were both stunning, and the truth was there was little difference. Aside from the thin, slightly more pale then the rest of her skin, on her left ring finger. They had gone through the effort to hide it, but he saw the proof all the same.

They landed with a thump, but it was a fairly mild one. Everyone remained standing, and his Donna looked impressed. Great, now he was going to have to fly better. She knew it was possibly now…

Future Donna walked right up next to her Doctor, and they shared a smile that spoke of the touches they were already missing. They kept a distance from each other, which you could tell felt unnatural for them.

"Are you ready?" future Donna asked future him.

He sighed and nodded.

"Ready you two?" he asked them.

His Donna walked up to him, and slipped her hand into his. It was their answer, ready for anything as long as they faced it together. Future Donna and him mirrored their gesture and they all walked to the doors.

Future him opened them, and they stepped out of the TARDIS and into bright sunlight.

"What are we doing here?"

"We need the key," the future him said, simply.

He led them down the narrow street. While the day was bright and warm, there was an expectance in the air. The locals didn't seem to notice, even if they did look at the strangers walking by.

Donna hand was in his, and it was warm, and a reassuring presence. She was his rock, his anchor and he wasn't going to let her go. He wasn't sure what kind of key they were looking for, but the other him did. He was going to have to be the one to follow the leader today.

Ten hours and counting for planet Earth.


	7. Chapter 7

The key…not a lot of help. Cryptic till the end, even if it was with himself. He and his Donna followed the future versions of themselves, and he thought about how rare it was to get to see yourself at this angle. The suit worked for him, accented his body nicely, if he did say so himself.

"Stop staring," the future him said. "And now stop glairing."

He pouted, and his Donna squeezed his hand and smiled. He sped up their pace, wanting to ask more about this key they were searching for. He wasn't in the mood for vague, too nervous about the Earth coming to an end.

Some would say –those with less of an idea of how wibbly wobbly time was –that the proof that they had succeeded was already there. That the two of them walking just before them, were everything they needed to know. That just wasn't a guarantee though, and it put him on edge.

"What is the key?" his Donna asked, struggling to keep up in her fashionable shoes.

Normally she went with sensible, but they weren't exactly expecting to get abducted and dropped into some sort of game that was getting more twisted bye the moment.

"Less of a what…more of a who," the future him said, with no more than a quick glance back.

"A who?" repeated his Donna.

The Doctor tried to wrap his mind around that. He had been expecting, well, a key. Not in the traditional Earth sense necessarily but something of that nature. But then, he was starting to think a little too human perhaps. Because a key could be anything, as long as it was made to fit the lock. And while he had yet to see the lock, it would seem that it was not what he had envisioned.

"It's…erm…complicated," future his said, clearly avoiding to the best of his ability.

His Donna huffed, and future Donna gave her an understanding glance. Probably with a little more time, she would be more used to that sort of thing. It must not have been too big of a problem if the little white bands on their ring fingers were an indication.

They walked for a very long time, leaving the main city and walking through fields. It was the third time that Donna stumbled over the uneven ground that he searched his pockets. Finally, way at the bottom of one, he found an extra pair of converses. They would be a bit big, but at least they were flat and she wouldn't break her ankle. He might be able to carry her around easily, that didn't mean he was longing to do it at the moment.

He watched the future her, navigate the field easily. Granted her shoes were a little more flat, but still, it was quite a feat.

Finally, and he was grateful for at least a dozen reasons, one of which was that he thought if his Donna had to go any farther she might snap. He wasn't in the mood for a good slapping, maybe later when he had less on his mind.

Future him rapped on the door of an old farm house, and it was answered as quickly as if the man behind the door was expecting it.

The farmer looked young, dark blue hair hanging down over his eyes. He pushed it back with a dark hand and looked at them with intense blue eyes. He studied them carefully, and then brushed the hair back in a half hearted way that wasn't going to hold for long.

He stepped out of the way, and they all entered. If he thought it was odd seeing two sets of the same person, he didn't give any indication. Once again, it all seemed as if they were expected.

Soon they were seated, each in a large comfortable chair. A young looking woman came up, with the same blue hair, and same intense eyes. She didn't speak, just offered a timid smile and held out a plate of something.

"Go on," the man said, speaking for the first time. "Mirte's been backing all day."

Four hands reached to snatch one of the items off the plate, and under waiting eyes they each took a bite. It was warm, and surprisingly sweet. A bit like a cookie. He finished his, and just as he was wishing for a tea, cups were placed in front of them.

He gulped it down, until he caught Donna's tiny head shake. Then he sipped the rest. When they were all finished, and he was feeling a bit sleep really, the man took a seat across from them.

The future him set his cup down and looked at the man with a serious expression. He looked like a man on a mission, and the Doctor understood how persuasive he could be when he looked like that.

"Areta is sleeping," the man said, firmly. His determination was easily as strong as the Doctors.

"Areta," his Donna said cautiously. "That's the…the key?"

"She," the man said, a fine layer of tears filling his eyes. "Areta..she's our daughter."

Donna looked at him, all compassion and light. It was one of the biggest reasons that he had fallen for her. If she could feel this much for a near stranger, than how could he not be drawn in by that?

"She won't be harmed," future him vowed, his voice level even though the Doctor knew it wasn't without its own compassion.

"So it is said," the man replied.

"Haven," Mirte said, moving closer. She moved with respect, not with fear. The Doctor was glad to note the small difference. "Areta is awake."

Haven sighed, and rose with a weariness that told a thousand stories about how much this was weighing on him.

The Doctor knew about sacrifice, about losing children. He knew about it, and his hearts were braking for Haven, and for Mirte. But if the future him said she wouldn't be harmed, then he believed it.

"What has been spoken must come to pass," Haven said, his voice as level, and as determined as the Doctor had ever heard. He disappeared from the room, and they were left to wait.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor wasn't expecting a toddler, not when he thought of the key. A child, he would grant, the couple was plenty young. But it was a bright blue eyed little girl, who rubbed a sleepy hand over her face as her father carried them into view. She had shoulder length blue girls and she clung to her father as sleepy children often did.

Haven sat back down, and Mirte paced the room, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. The Doctor knew that they would go to the end of the universe to protect this little one from harm. His future self had said that they would be safe, and there was nothing he wanted more. He may not understand how this little girl was the key, but he had a few good ideas. It wasn't completely unheard of, but rarely used because there were clearly risks involved.

"Hello, Areta," his Donna said softly.

She buried her head in her father shoulder and the Doctor wondered how they were going to take such a shy little girl with them on this trip. He supposed they would have to take their parents too, but that came with its own set of problems. It was more people to keep safe, and since they were going back to Earth the more blue people he had the more likely they were to get noticed.

"Areta," Haven said. "You're going to go with these nice people, and then they will bring you back."

"But daddy," she said, her little lip coming out in a pout. "I wanna stay with you."

Haven blinked back tears. This couldn't be easy on him, or Mirte, or any parent. He patted her little back and gave them all a very stern look.

"You will return her safe," he said, standing up. "You will bring my little girl back to me, and she will be as well as when she left."

"We swear," the future him said, reaching out for the girl.

Haven passed the little girl over, and she didn't cry. She did give her father a long look, and then settled into the Doctor's arms a little better.

"I love you baby," Haven said and kissed her head.

"We will see you soon," Mirte followed with a kiss of her own.

And then they were leaving, and the Areta was crying, big tears rolling down her face. Future Donna was rubbing her back and speaking in soothing tones with every step.

"Doctor," his Donna whispered. "How is the key a little girl?"

"It's…." the Doctor started. The truth was that he didn't have a great answer. It could be something as simple as they needed a drop of her blood. "I don't know just yet."

She bit her lip, and he sighed. He wished he had all the answers that he could tell her that it was going to be simply using a little girl as a key, when he still didn't fully understand what they were unlocking. He knew that there were many things wrong right now, and more than he probably even did know.

He knew there was a crying little girl in the arms of the future version of himself, and he knew that they had the Earth to save. That was going to have to be enough. It was all he had.

So he did what he could, and he held her hand and helped her on the long way back to the TARDIS. By now Areta had calmed some, apparently deciding that they weren't so bad. And when they stepped into the TARDIS she let out a little gasp that made him smile.

"Do you like?" future him asked, carrying her around.

She nodded, and the blue curls fell over her face. Donna brushed them back and kissed her head. Areta reached out for her and Donna took her from the Doctor.

"Back to Earth?" his Donna asked.

"Yes," future Doctor agreed. "Yes, but we sort of have to take the long way around."

"How's that?" he asked.

"They're going to be expecting us back," future him said. "So….we take a different route."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. He made sure to watch future him carefully so that when it came his time to be this man, he would know what to do. He watched him push a bright green button that the Doctor had forgotten even existed.

Extra camouflaged. Handy to have for times like these, and the Doctor made sure to tuck that into his mind. Future and past Donna were playing with Areta, and the future version of himself looked up at him.

"Ask your questions," he finally said.

"How is she the key?" the Doctor asked. "Blood…or…?"

"The computer will do a scan of her, and identify her as Areta Gariv," the Doctor said. "It will accept her, and then keep its self on."

"On?" the Doctor asked. "I thought we were trying to turn something off."

"Off destroys the world," the Doctor said. "It's why they were trying to get you two to stop it."

"What about the countdown," the Doctor asked.

"That's how long we have to make sure the machine is turned on," the future him said, working his way around the console. "And time is running out."

"Why is there even an off switch if the world needs this?" he asked.

"A long time ago…mankind was given a trial period," the Doctor said, looking off into the empty space. "So long to prove they were worthy of protection. Time's up…the aliens who captured you simply mean to take advantage of that, hoping you would turn it off instead of seeking out the only way to keep it on."

The Doctor swallowed hard. He knew so much about the Earth but he knew nothing about this trial period, but he wasn't pleased about it. Of course humans were worth protection, it was why he did it over and over. He shuddered away the nasty feeling that was trying to get a good hold on him.

They were going to succeed. They were going to find a way to keep it on, and then he wanted to figure out who had issued this probation period. He wanted to make them see just how precious these humans were to him.

Any form of attack, even one like this, was too much for him.

"They're gone," future him said. "They're long gone."

He wiped his eyes and the Doctor looked at him, hoping what he was thinking wasn't true. There were a lot of worlds that were gone, so many he couldn't even bear to count. It could have been any of those…he supposed it didn't matter who now. If they weren't around to answer around for their actions then there was no choice but to just press on.

The TARDIS landed with a thump and everyone looked up. It was time; the box in his hands was counting down. A game…some aliens had made this into a game, and if he couldn't talk to the people who made this machine, he was sure going to ask someone to answer.

"Let's go," future him said.


End file.
